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The Forestry Service violated environmental laws when it allowed cattle to graze in a steelhead habitat, according to a ruling by a federal judge.

The agency's grazing program in Malheur National Forest could have been implemented in a way that protected the habitat, say environmentalists, but it was not.

"While the grazing program and enforcement process are reasonable, the fact that their implementation relies upon Forest Service and permittee action is more problematic," he said.

The ruling also rejected arguments from ranchers, who claimed the agency arbitrarily adopted an inaccurate method for measuring the health of steelhead habitat and ignored information that indicated grazing doesn't harm fish.